Mumbai, India

First mission of the trip was getting from the airport to the hotel, and for that Uber was our friend.

It was the week of Diwali and we were recommended to head over to the Gateway of India so that was our first stop. James used the hotel map to direct us there but the map, our clothes and our general appearance highlighted us as new tourists to the locals. A friendly local man struck up a conversation with us in good English, going above and beyond with his kindness which included offering to take us for a chai; this was a red flag for us to loose him and that was when we uncovered his ultimatum which was wanting money to support 45 children in the slums as he’s a social worker. After many apologies and refusing to take up his offer of directions or free chai it was finally just the two of us again. No harm done and we made it to the Gateway of India. 

It seems that a lot of the locals also went with their families to celebrate Diwali at the Gateway of India. 

Our hotel recommended a restaurant so we headed there for dinner and then popped back to the Gateway of India to see if any fireworks were being lit as it was now dark; no fireworks but there was an impressive light show projected onto the Gateway. 

The second day we got up early to head to the local running club in Mumbai with the aim to do a 5km. Gosh that run was made even harder having to wear legging (women tend to be more conservative with their clothing than in western countries). It was tough but also good! It was first time we saw locals out with their own dogs and I even noticed a few dog trainers using the vicinity.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the city, stopping at various tourist landmarks, including the train station and Marine Drive for sunset. James wanted to enjoy one last beer before heading to Rajkot, a dry state, so we made a stop at the Beer Cafe.

On our last morning, we took a taxi back to the train station. The ride offered an interesting view of Mumbai’s diverse districts, and it was along this route that I noticed a much starker level of poverty—people just waking up after spending the night sleeping on the pavement, others getting on the bus to start their day, and other scenes of daily life unfolding on the streets.